DHB family whānau advisors

More information

Whether you work in, or support a whānau member to use mental health and addiction services, you want to be confident that the service has effective family and whānau participation processes.

What we do

It is the job of district health board (DHB) family whānau advisors to assist services to bring a family and whānau perspective to DHB senior management, quality improvement and service development processes.

Family whānau advisors also facilitate staff access to training, education and resources on working with families and whānau. Contact with families and whānau is generally through surveys, focus groups, forums, serious incident processes and when concerns are identified.

National group

Currently there are 23 family whānau advisors working across 15 DHBs with two co-chairs. The national group provides advisors with a structure to have a collective voice, share best practice, and maintain and develop professional standards.

The group also provides leadership to the sector by contributing family and whānau expertise to national projects and initiatives in a positive collaboration with key national groups.

If you would like to know more about the national group please contact one of the co-chairs: Leigh Murray, Auckland DHB or Debbie Crichton, Waitemata DHB.

Handover articles of interest

Family and whānau advisors frequently submit articles to Handover, the mental health and addiction nursing newsletter. Read some of their latest articles in the Stories section below, or visit Te Pou for full Handover editions.

Handover | Issue 31 — Autumn, July 2015
When family and whānau are asked what information they would like most from mental health services, the most common response is how they can support their family member in a mental health crisis and how they can support their recovery.

Handover Issue 30 - Summer, March 2015. Working with whānau and natural supports is integral to the provision of high quality health service provision. Whānau Ora is a major health initiative driven by Māori cultural values. At its core is the goal to empower whānau/families and natural supports within their community context as opposed to individuals within an institutional context.